The health care miracle in east and southeast Asia: Activist state provision in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore

By any standard, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore are remarkable health ca re performers. In this article we document their performance which in each case combines excellent outcomes with low cost - and argue that across all three cases it has a lot to do with the British colonial legacy. In particu lar, this legacy has generated a strong state role in health care provision . On the basis of these three experiences, we hold that health care reforme rs should shift their attention from finance, which continues to be somethi ng of an obsession for many contributors to debate, and look more closely a t provision.